Boxing coach Hector Pena from Dallas, Texas, has been around the business for quite some time, but his age does not show it.  He started his career in the late sixties, won a couple of Golden Gloves championships and was runner up in several state championships.  He turned professional in the early seventies and retired with an outstanding lightweight record of 12-3-3, with 5 KO’s, but fighting all the way up to super welterweight.

But after ending his career he turned his passion to coaching.  It all started with the kids in the neighborhood who looked up to him as a boxer and as a friend.  Wherever he could hang his boxing gloves, in a car garage, or somewhere else, that was where he trained his boxers.  His first gym was called La Familia Boxing Club and he has been coaching ever since.

He now is the head trainer at the Ring of Hope Boxing Gym in Dallas, Texas. A huge boxing gym and maybe one of the biggest in the metroplex.  He say’s he is fortunate and is blessed to train at this gym, which is sponsored by Stephen Bolos, President of United Renovations and Wil McCall, President of the Dallas Leadership Foundation.  This facility is a state of the art boxing gym which has two regulation boxing rings, heavy bags, and a multitude of training equipment.  It is not only a boxing gym, but it has a mentoring program to help the young boxers to succeed in education and life as well.

In addition to the Ring of Hope Boxing Gym trainers, Arnold Alejandro, Pena’s assistant coach has been his right hand man for a long time. Pena said he is the one who does all the leg work.  Alejandro has coached at Westside Boxing and in Irving and his sons were once trained by coach Pena.  Alejandro is considered one of the best in the business and coach Pena is glad to have him at the gym by his side.  Also, Johnny Carrasco, who was once coached by Pena is an assistant trainer as well. 

Coach Pena is a humble man and is passionate about the boxing game, but at the same time a true competitor.  Among the many professional fighters he has trained, that would include Quincy Taylor, the former WBC Middleweight champion of the world.  Early in Taylor’s career, many people had wrote off the champion, but Pena recalls the time he helped train him. It was during that time that Pena helped him get back on track and beat a number four ranked fighter in the world.  The rest was history for Quincy Taylor.

In addition to Quincy Taylor, most recently, Pena was an assistant trainer to Dallas’ own Roberto Marroquin (20-1, 14KO’s).  A fighter who is signed with Top Rank and on his way up in the boxing world.

This Friday night at the Quiktrip Park in Grand Prairie, Pena will be in the corner of Jose Rodriquez (1-0), a fighter from his gym, who will be taking on Gerardo Dominguez (1-13).  Rodriquez is from Pleasant Grove, a suburb of Dallas, Texas and he has been training for two and a half months.  He had already been training for the previous rained out fights at Quiktrip and is in superb shape for this fight.  He said he plans to win and hopefully by knockout.  Pena expects a good outing for his fighter and Dallas will be hearing from future champions from his gym.

Photos © Edward Garza

GRAND PRAIRIE, TEXAS --- Former 5-time Texas Golden Gloves Champion Jose Orozco (3-0, Fort Worth), will be one of seven top Boxing prospects from the DFW area that are set to fight on the 4th Annual “FIGHT NIGHT AT QUIKTRIP PARK,” on Friday, October 14th in Grand Prairie.  QuikTrip Park, home of the minor league Grand Prairie Airhogs Baseball team, is next to Lone Star Park, off of Belt Line and I-30 in Grand Prairie.
 
The 25 year old Orozco, now 3-0 as a professional, will take on Austin’s Cedic Sheppard (pro debut) in a scheduled four-round welterweight contest.  The Orozco vs Sheppard bout is one of six fights on the card being presented by CNS promotions and sponsored by Tecate.  The first bout begins at 7:30 p.m.
 
Friday night’s event was originally scheduled for this past September 16th, but was rained out and postponed till this Friday night, October 14th.  Fans holding tickets from the September 16th date can use the same tickets this Friday night.
 
Tickets are available at the QuikTrip Park Box Office, by phone at 972-504-9383 or online at www.QuikTripPark.com.   Fans can also download FREE General Admission tickets or upgrade to reserved seating for as low as $5 and $10 at www.QuikTripPark.com.
 
Also slated for action on the card are Dallas-Fort Worth prospects Ray Ximenez (4-0, Dallas), Hector Vasquez (5-1, Dallas), Nestor Rosas (10-1, Fort Worth), Angel Segala (5-2, Arlington), Jose Rodriguez (1-0, Grand Prairie) and James Burns (pro debut, Fort Worth).   See the attached for opponents and the complete Fight Card. 
 
Finalized Fight Card

4 RD Middleweight Fight
Angel Sigala (5-2) vs Nestor Rosas (10-1)

6 RD Welterweight Fight
Hector Vasquez (5-1) vs. Cory Yet (3-1)

4 RD Bantamweight Fight
Ray Ximenez (4-0) vs. Victor Sanchez (1-1)

4 RD Lightweight Fight
Wilbert Mitchell (0-1) vs James Burns (Pro Debut)

4 RD Lightweight Fight
Jose Rodriguez (1-0) vs. Gerardo Dominguez (1-13)

4 RD Welterweight Fight
Jose Orozco (3-0) vs. Cedric Sheppard

As professional boxing around these parts becomes more and more of a rarity fans of the “Sweet Science” here in North Texas are left with limited options to get their fight fix.  Last month, fans were all abuzz as the annual Fight Night at Quick Trip Park was slated to feature a number of young local prospects.   Unfortunately for the evening’s promoters Mother Nature conspired against them and the card was rained out.

Well, fight fans we have some good news to report.  The 4th Annual Fight Night at Quick Trip Park will take place this Friday, October 14.  Best of all, and something that has been a genius idea for this promotion, the general admittance tickets are free.  Yes, you read that correctly, free.  In fact, if you go to the Grand Prairie Air Hogs website you can print off a voucher that is good for free general admission for up to four guests.  You can’t beat that kind of deal for some sweet professional boxing. 

Now, the usual disclaimer, the free tickets are only general admission.  But, if you want to upgrade to reserve seating it’s not going to cost you much at all.  In fact reserved seating prices are only $5, $10, or, get this, $25 for VIP field seating.  Now, you tell me where you can find VIP floor seating for only $25. 

FIGHT CARD

There are six bouts slatted for the night and it will feature some capable young prospects in action. 

Hector Vazquez, Dallas (5-1) vs. Cory Yet, Austin (3-1): 6-round welterweight bout

Angel Sigala, Arlington (5-2) vs. Nestor Rosas, Ft. Worth (10-1): 4-round middleweight bout

Ray Ximenez, Dallas (4-0) vs. Isaac Cantera, San Antonio (1-0): 4-round bantamweight bout

Wilbert Mitchell, Dallas (0-1) vs. James Burns, Ft. Worth (Pro debut): 4-round lightweight bout

Jose Rodriguez, Grand Prairie (1-0) vs. Gerardo Domingez , Tyler (1-13): 4-round lightweight bout

Jose Orozca, Ft. Worth (3-0) vs. Cedric Sheppard, Austin (Pro debut): 4-round welterweight bout

This past weekend saw Houston as the epicenter of all things MMA this past weekend with UFC 136 taking place at the Toyota Center.  Obviously, the allure of a PPV UFC card is strong enough but the Las Vegas-based promotion pulled out all the stops for their second visit to H-Town this included a UFC Fan Expo.  As has been the case with over fan expos thrown by the UFC, one of the highlights of the convention is the prestigious Grapplers Quest grappling tournament.  This weekend was no exception as a pair of North Texas’ most accomplished grapplers traveled down I-45 to represent the DFW Metroplex in a pair of promoted super fights. 

Friday’s headlining super fighter pitted Dallas’ Wesley Gann (Nova Uniao) against Justin Rader (Team Lovato) out of Oklahoma.  Unfortunately, just like in Saturday’s Texas-OU Red River Rivalry game, the Texan came up short as Rader was able to secure the victory with a leg lock. 

North Texas sough redemption on Saturday as Octagon MMA BJJ instructor Bruno Bastos (Nova Uniao) took on Rafael Lovato (Team Lovato).  Bastos, fresh off a respectable performance at ADCC, was cautious in his approach and that may have cost him as a 2-point award to Lovato for stalling may have swung the match in Lovato’s favor.  Needless to say, when two grapplers of this caliber mix it up the littlest point can make all the difference.  Unfortunately, for Bastos it was Lovato who walked away with the victory. 

Special props to TXMMA.com for the info.

UFC Lightweight Championship Main Event
Frankie Edgar (14-1-1) TKO 4 Gray Maynard (10-1-1)
Time of Stoppage:  3:54 round four.

You know, it’s funny how certain fighting styles meld together to create beautiful artistry.  One gets the feeling that if Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard fought a hundred times the result would be different every time.  There is just something about Edgar’s fleet-footed boxing and Maynard’s grueling pressure attack that creates guaranteed explosions.

Such was the case Saturday night as Edgar, the incumbent champion, and Maynard met in the Octagon for the third time.  When Edgar and Maynard’s second fight ended in a controversial draw back in January an immediate rematch was ordered by the UFC in order to provide definitive clarity on who the king of the lightweight division was.  Tonight in Houston, Edgar made it clear that it was he who ruled the 155-pound division.  Though, Edgar did not exactly have an easy time in defending his crown.

Just as was the case in their fight in January, Edgar had to weather a storm of relentless punishment at the hands of Maynard in the opening round.  Edgar was put on unsteady legs early in the opening round after eating an uppercut from Maynard.  As Edgar wobbled around the cage on footing that looked as if he was trying to ice skate, Maynard went for the kill.  But, despite the bombs being connected to the face of Edgar, the Jersey Shore native refused to go down.  Even after Maynard shattered Edgar’s nose with a knee the challenger was simply unable to put Edgar away.

With Maynard unable to put Edgar away in the opening round the tide soon turned in favor of the reigning champion.  Edgar was able to shake the cobwebs from his head to begin to utilize his foot movement and boxing to keep Maynard at bay.  Though Maynard tried to close the gap throughout the second and third round, Edgar’s movement and speed enabled him to not only avoid the takedown attempts of Maynard, but Edgar was also able to pepper Maynard’s face with a few clean shots.

Then, the end came in dramatic and stunning fashion in the fourth round.  As Maynard shot in for a takedown, Edgar clipped him hard with a wicked uppercut.  Maynard’s knees buckled and as he staggered back against the cage the follow up barrage of punches from Edgar put him down and out.

UFC Bantamweight Championship Co-Main Event
Jose Aldo (20-1) UD 5 Kenny Florian (15-6)
Scores: 49-46, 49-46, 49-46

It’s hard to believe that when Kenny Florian began his career in the UFC many years ago he did it campaigning at middleweight.  Since those early days in The Ulitmate Fighter, Florian has proven to be one of the most gutsy and accomplished fighter to have never won a title.  So Florian began the task of shrinking down to the bantamweight limit in order to capitalize on height and weight advantage.  Florian’s initial forrway in the weight class was a successful one so with a legacy that has seen Florain fight some of the best fighters in the sport the UFC granted him a title shot in their newly created bantamweight division.  Unfortunately for Florian that title shot would mean a fight against the always-dynamic Brazilian Jose Aldo.

Though Florian was considered by many to be a significant underdog heading into thus fight, the Boston native used a cerebral attack early on to frustrate and limit the game plan of Aldo.  Florian accomplished this by continuing to work for the clinch and takedowns.  This considerably slowed Aldo and prevented him from opening up his attack with his patented kicks.

However, Aldo soon was able to get more in rhythm in the second and soon it was Florian who was unable to utilize his game plan.  From there the fight boiled down to Florian trying valiantly to make something happen with Aldo, the defending champion, doing slightly more.

In the end it was a close fight, despite what the scores say, and though Florian came up short years from now people will be singing his praise for the heart he showed in this fight.

UFC Middleweight Fight
Chael Sonnen (26-11-1) SUB RD 2 (Arm Triangle) Brian Stann (11-4)
Time of Submission: 3:51 round two.

Despite having one of the most colorful personalities in the game, Sonnen’s plan of attack is so one-dimensional it’s almost comical in its effectiveness.  To know Sonnen is to know a fighter who has one tactic and that is to take the fight to the ground with wrestling and grind out a victory.  While it’s not exactly the dreaded “lay ‘n pray” we fans hate, it’s also not exactly the most aesthetically pleasing fight style.

Against the former Marine in Stann, Sonnen wasted little time in enacting his much-used game plan as he immediately set up the clinch and looked for the takedown.  Even though every one of Sonnen’s opponents knows what’s in store for them in the cage, the genius of Sonnen is that he still manages to impose his will on them.

Such was the case with Stann who despite putting on a valiant performance in the fight, found himself on his back trying to avoid the punches of Sonnen.  In the second round Sonnen continued more of the same ground and pound styling but when the opening presented itself, he deftly slipped in an arm triangle that ended the fight.

During the post-fight interview Sonnen channeled his inner professional wrestler in requesting a “loser-leaves-town” match with middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

“Anderson Silva, you absolutely suck,” declared Sonnen.  “Super Bowl weekend, the biggest rematch in the history of the business.  I beat you, you leave the division.  You beat me and I leave the UFC forever.”

UFC Lightweight Fight
Nam Phan (17-9) UD 3 Leonard Garcia (15-8-1)
Scores: 29-28, 29-28, 29-28

I have to be honest; I could watch Nam Phan and Leonard Garcia fight every day.  There is something about these two that create a nuclear war level of explosiveness in the cage.  Back in 2010 these two engaged in an absolute war but the fight was unfortunately marred by the controversial split decision victory awarded to Garcia.  Many had felt that Phan deserved the victory and Saturday’s rematch was widely considered a “must see.”

Boy, did this fight not disappoint.  Things started off at a blistering pace as both fighters continued what they had started back on 2010 by exchanging crushing blows to the face of each other.  The ebb and flow of the fight had the crowd in Houston on their feet cheering wildly throughout the fight.  Phan opened up the fight with a vicious body attack, but every time Phan seemed like he was pulling ahead, Garcia would come rolling back with some hard shots of his own.  The fight was a brutal back and forth affair that contained all the drama of a Hollywood film.

In sweet redemption Phan emerged victorious with a deserved unanimous decision but in fights like this the tired cliché of the fight fans winning rings true.

UFC Lightweight Fight
Joe Lauzon (21-6) SUB RD 1 (Rear Naked Choke) Melvin Guillard (29-9-2)
Time of Submission:  0:47 round one

Recently, Melvin Guillard’s name had been mentioned in title contention talk.  It’s hard not to see why given that Guillard had been laying waste to nearly everyone the UFC had put in front of him.  But while the lightweight title picture was being sorted out in the main event, Guillard was given the task of facing jiu-jitsu whiz kid Lauzon.  But to think of Lauzon as some sort of stay busy fight would be to underestimate a very capable fighter as Guillard soon found out.

Initially, things appeared to be going in Guillard’s favor as he peppered Lauzon early with some lightning quick strikes.  However, Lauzon quickly countered with a hook to the chin of Guillard that put him on shaky legs.  Seizing the opportunity Lauzon quickly took Guillard to the ground where a rear naked choke was locked.

We are three episodes in on this season of The Ultimate Fighter and already I am enjoying it immensely over last season.

On to the recap:

-  Team Mayhem sets the tone as Miller breaks out pool noodles and has his team whack each other.  Weird.

-  Michael Bisping retaliates from Team Miller’s precious prank by stripping Miller’s tires from his Dodge Charger and putting them in his dressing room.  It’s actually pretty funny,

-  The contract between the two teams is highlighted in the juxtaposition of Team Miller (lighthearted and fun) and Team Bisping (intense and all business).

-  In fact, drama arises on Team Bisping as Diego Brandao and Marcus Brimage get into a heated argument while sparring prompting Brandao to threaten to kill Brimage.  Eventually, Bisping is able to talk sense into the teammates but it’s clear that there is some animosity brewing below the surface between the two.

-  Akira Corassani quickly emerges as this season’s marquee personality.  Some of his antics include letting teammates throw flower pots at his head while he’s in the pool, sliding into the pool with a thong, and letting the housemates rack him in the balls with billiards.  I wish I was making that last statement up.

-  Corassani also emerges as the house prankster as he fills his roommate’s gloves and training gear with random crap like marshmallows and birdseeds.

-  North Texas’ own Johnny Bedford (Team Miller) gets selected to face Josh Ferguson (Team Bisping) in the season’s first bantamweight fight.  Ferguson ups the ante by unraveling a note that says “F**k you Bedford” on it.  Needless to say Bedford was none too happy about this and one of the most intense face-offs you will ever see takes place between the two.

-  Quote from Bedford, “I’m going to break you kid.”  I think this pretty much sums up the tension of the situation.

-  It’s soon revealed that Bedford is suffering a small injury to his right hand.  Obviously, this is to set even more gravity to the fight.  Meanwhile, Ferguson looks like a tough SOB in training.

-  Dustin Neace reaches his limits with Corassani’s pranks and dumps a whole container of birdseed on Corassani’s bed.  Corassani gets pissed, which is sort of ironic, and a heated exchange of words and threats ensues.

-  It comes to light that John Dodson has informed Team Bisping of Bedford’s injury despite Dodson being on Bedford’s team.  Apparently, Dodson along with Ferguson, Louis Gaudinot, and Diego Brando have formed some clique called Team Death Leprechaun.”  So, now it appears that Team Bisping has a mole in Team Miller’s camp.

-  Bedford gets the unanimous decision victory over Ferguson.  Ferguson was scrappy but Bedford was more multi-dimensional and used his wrestling to control the pace and placement of the fight.  Though Bedford appeared to be clearly hampered by the right hand, he was able to use his elbows and grappling to gut out the victory.

When we reported yesterday that DeSoto’s Errol Spence only needed a sixth place finish at this week’s AIBA World Championships taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan to make it onto the US Olympic Boxing team it was all but a foregone conclusion that he would make.  Well, I hate to say we’re right, but, well, we were right. 

Spence secured the final spot on the team yesterday with a points victory over Hungary’s Imre Backsai.  USA Boxing has the recap of the fight:

[Spence] took the key early lead in the bout. He claimed a 7-3 advantage after the first round of boxing in their welterweight contest. Backsai picked up the pace in the second but Spence matched his efforts as both boxers put 10 points on the board. Spence took a 17-13 lead into the last round but he didn’t rest on his advantage. The Dallas boxer kept his foot on the gas, pushing his lead to a 10-point margin to win a 26-16 final decision and an Olympic berth.

So, yeah Spence is now a legitimate beast.  Though, we here in North Texas have been keenly aware of that for some time now. 

It’s widely known around these parts that DeSoto resident Errol Spence may very well be the most talented amateur boxer in Texas.  Granted, we could be a bit biased to our North Texas fighters but the fact of the matter is that few boxers have such an uncanny blend of both speed and power.  Spence’s somewhat quite demeanor mask the beast-like ferociousness he unleashes inside the square circle. 

Spence’s popularity may soon hit unprecedented levels as the young boxer continues his march toward making the US Olympic Boxing team.  Spence took a huge step toward achieving this dream on Sunday when he out pointed Canadian Custio Clayton with in the second round of the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) World Championship taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan.  Spence won his match with Clayton with scores of 4-4 (round 1), 12-7 (round two), and 18-9 (round three).  Spence’s next bout will be a third round match against Hungary’s Imre Backsai tonight.

Spence, who trains in Dallas at the Maple Ave Boxing Gym, must finish with at least a sixth place finish in the tournament to make it on the US Olympic Team for the 2010 Summer Olympics taking place in London. 

Austin-based Brian Vera was systematically out-boxed in dropping a unanimous decision to Andy Lee Saturday night at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.  The bout represented a rematch of a March 2008 contest in which Vera shocked the world in upsetting Lee in front of a national audience.  However, this time around vengeance would be Lee’s.  Lee dropped Vera with a hard left hand in the second round and went on to cruise to a ten round unanimous decision. 

Scores were 98-91, 99-90, and 99-90 all in favor of Lee. 

Claiborne Stopped Four

Another North Texas figther appearing on the card was Fort Worth's Kentrell "The Beast Claiborne who tackled undefeated prosepct Sean Monaghan in a six round light heavyweight bout. 

Unfortunately for Claiborne, Monaghan proved to be too much and stopped “The Beast” in the fourth round.  The official time of the stoppage was 0:54 in round four. 

Photo © Stacey Verbeek

North Texas’ own Jinh Yu made a triumphant return to the cage over the weekend battling Christina Crist at Freestyle Cage Fighting’s “Fight Strong for the Cure” card Saturday night in Shawnee, OK.  The “Fight Strong for the Cure” promotion was an all-female fight card with proceeds from the event being donated to help fund breast cancer research. 

Yu emerged victorious in her amateur bout and was awarded “Fight of the Night” honors for her spirited victory. 

Full Results

Below are the full results from the FCF card courtesy of Wombat Sports (along with the picture):

Pro Card

Kaitlin Young def. Liz Carreiro via KO round 1
Molly Estes def. Lacie Jackson via unanimous decision
Heather Clark def. Sarah Alpar via submission (RNC) round 3
Latoya Walker def. Jackie Enos by KO 30 seconds round 1

Ammy card

Ashley Delk def. Nikki Lowe unanimous decision
Jade De Haas def. Candace Eich unanimous decision
Angela Baltimore def. Lanita Jackson via TKO (strikes) round 3
Jinh Yu def. Cristina Crist